


The Larry Hug

by sthlmsyndr0me



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, One Direction Concert, the Larry Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 19:48:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6580018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sthlmsyndr0me/pseuds/sthlmsyndr0me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happened pre, during and after the iconic Larry-hug.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Larry Hug

”Oi lads, are you ready?”  
It was ten minutes before the start of their last gig on the OTRA-tour, and Niall was shouting backstage. The four of them had been hanging out together most of the day, instead of in their three separate lounges as usual. They still had months of promo ahead, but even so, today was the end of a part of their lives. The end of an era, as Liam had stated dramatically, quoting Friends. The end of relentless touring, having their backs whipped by Simon Cowell and Modest. And for two of them it was the end of not being true on stage, of constructed mannerisms and of performing while in the closet. It would be a whole other story when they came back from the hiatus.

“Boys, seriously, it’s time for a huddle!” Niall said again, stomping his feet on the carpet, waving his hands impatiently.  
Liam came hurrying out from the loo just as Louis entered the room.  
“Calm down Niall, we heard you the first time” Louis said, sounding calm as he always did before shows. Niall looked a bit confused.  
“Where did you leave Harry?”  
“He’s coming, no worries” Louis said, patting Nialls shoulder in a reassuring yet mocking way. Harry came through the door a few seconds later, tucking his sweater lazily at the side of his pants and fixing his hair.  
“I don’t wanna know Harry, just get over here” Niall said just as Harry opened his mouth to speak, and Harry shrugged and hurried over to his bandmates. They stood in a tight circle, shoulder to shoulder with their arms around eachother – Niall, Louis, Harry, Liam.  
“This is it boys” Liam said.  
“I’m gonna miss playing shows” said Harry.  
“Tss, you’re gonna miss RBB” teased Niall.  
“Can you blame me?” Harry replied.  
“Good thing you can call him then” giggled Liam.  
“Focus!” said Louis.  
“Sorry bro”  
“Imagine how good it’ll be when we come back!” Louis said.  
“Let’s give them a hell of a gig tonight” grinned Niall, and they all cheered.

After the huddle Niall went to have a last word with his guitar technician and Liam to get a final touch up by Lou. “I’m not sure about my hair like this”, he muttered while exiting the room. Harry was just about to follow when Louis grabbed his wrist. He pulled him to the edge of the room, by some curtains for privacy in case someone would re-enter. They stood still, close, felt the others warm breath upon their faces. Just looked, blue eyes in green eyes, soft smiles on their lips. When Louis spoke, he spoke in a whisper.

“I don’t know why, but I feel like…”  
“Today’s a turning point?” Harry whispered back, eyes still locked in Louis’.  
“Yeah…”

In one fast motion Louis got on his toes and threw his arms tight around Harry’s neck, hugging him as if his goal was to leave bruises. Harry held back just as tightly, clasping the fabric of Louis’ tank, tucking his nose where Louis shoulder meets his neck.  
“I can’t wait ‘til we don’t have to care who sees us like this” he mumbled. Louis just nodded. 

They stood like that until Niall walked into the room again.  
“Yo, lovers! It’s showtime, you cheesy fucks!” he yelled, throwing a balled up piece of paper at them before running out of the room again. Harry and Louis separated, smiling at eachother. Then Louis pecked Harry’s nose quickly and started walking.  
“C’mon stage diva, we gotta go” he mocked Harry at the door, who strutted past him playfully, before they both ran to the stage area.

***

The gig was on fire, definitely one of the best one’s that year. All of their families were there, and a bunch of friends. Louis felt so free during Act my age that he said fuck it to the old reprimands lingering in his head and danced along with his favourite people in the world. Sweaty, embarrassing and absolutely wonderful. Harry danced as he always danced, carefree and natural. There was something special in the air this concert – they felt it, the band felt it and the audience felt it.

Drag me down came to an end, and the crowd cheered louder than they had all night, which was saying something. For once Liam hadn’t lied when he shouted, “You’re the loudest crowd ever!” There was a sense of relief between the four of them and they couldn’t stop smiling. Liam and Niall began hugging each other, while Harry and Louis waved at the ecstatic swarm of people surrounding the b-stage. Niall then gave Harry a quick hug and Liam squeezed Louis so hard he almost broke off his airways. The crowd grew louder and louder, breathing and living in the boys love for one another, crying and screaming “this is the best thing ever” in unison. It was when Louis broke away from Niall and Harry broke away from Liam at the same time that everyone realised what was about to happen.

Louis could see Harry over Niall’s shoulder, getting quick eye contact with him while he had his arms around Liam. Would they? Did they dare? Could management even get mad if they hugged, wouldn’t it be weirder if they didn’t? Did it matter? Did anything but the four of them in this moment really matter? The thoughts flew by in light’s speed before Louis gave Niall one last pat and came out of their hug. No, it didn’t, he realised. Nothing else mattered.  
Harry felt Louis’ eyes on him, when he hugged Liam to the sound of thunderous applauds. Were they thinking the same thing? Should they? They had dreamt about not having to care about who saw what, but when it became a real possibility to be affectionate among people, Harry got scared for a moment. They hadn’t hugged on stage in years, barely interacted in more obvious ways than short smiles and glances since the Take Me Home-tour. As Harry saw Louis ending the hug with Niall he acted on instinct and made the decision unconsciously.

Their eyes met as they walked against each other, Louis tried to neutralize a smile. Instead he shrugged his shoulders and made a face, like “let’s do this”, and the next moment they closed their arms around the other. One arm over and one arm under, like a puzzle fitting together. Like magnets fighting to come together, in the end impossible to keep apart. It sounded like someone had dropped a bomb. One millisecond of shocked silence before the loudest scream the arena had ever experienced. Harry smiled into Louis’ neck, cheeks mushed between his boyfriend’s head and shoulder. Louis grabbed the back of Harry’s black t-shirt so hard he could have ripped it to pieces, unable to keep the fond from glowing in his face for another second. Everyone cheering cheered for them, everyone crying felt with them, everyone breathless was like them. The sound surrounding them built a cocoon, it became background noise and it was just them. It was just Harry and Louis and their love and their fight and the support they had. Their arms and their legs and the way Harry bent down and the way Louis tilted his body up. Two pats on Louis, two pats on Harry, one pat more on each back, before they separated again, trying to act like nothing special had just happened and like the crowd hadn’t gone into a collective cardiac arrest.

***

One hour later Louis and Harry were back in their hotel room, getting ready for the “the end of the tour”-party Niall had been hyping for weeks. After a satisfying but not very effective shower together – which included a ripped down shower curtain and some creative use of the conditioner – Louis now stood by the bed in just his boxers, examining his clothing options. His damp fringe laid soft against his forehead as Harry curled up behind him, dressed in black skinnies and socks, but still topless. Harry’s chest was warm against Louis’ back, and his long arms sneaked around Louis’ waist, drawing him even closer. Louis could feel Harry smile as he pecked his neck and smelled his newly washed hair.

“Mm, smells good” said Harry a bit hazily. He always got this way, both post-shower and post-sex. The combination of both was not optimal. Louis rolled his eyes in a fond manner.  
“It’s the same I always use Harry”  
“Yeah ‘know, but still”  
“Which one should I wear?” Louis wondered, gesticulating at the four shirts on the bed. A black and white baseball-tee, a t-shirt with a matching adidas-jacket, that soft grey sweater and a thin black sweater with long sleeves.  
“None, let’s stay in” Harry mumbled, tracing Louis’ sides with his fingertips.  
“Jesus Christ Harry, keep it in your pants!“ Louis laughed and smacked a hand lightly on Harry’s arm. “Niall would never forgive us if we missed the party for a round two”  
“And three and four and…”  
“Yeah yeah, we can do that tomorrow love, now pick one” Louis said, nudging Harry in the stomach jokily so he had to take a step back not to lose balance, and therefore woke up from his trance.  
“Alright alright, the black one then”

When they had finished dressing and Harry was waiting for Louis to get his hair done, Harry thought of something.  
“Louis! The phone! The bears’ phone! Where is it?”  
“Fuck, you’re right! Check the bag Preston brought back, I think it’s there?”  
Harry hurried over to the bag and found the phone a few seconds later, giggling like a maniac as he sat down on the bed going through the messages.  
“Read them out loud Harry, don’t keep ‘em to yourself” said Louis, looking at his boyfriend through the mirror.  
“Alright, let’s see… They keep coming in still, damn. Lot’s of Larry is real of course. Jesus, this one even got you beat regarding exclamation points honey. A few not so nice ones, now why would you even spend your money on this if you didn’t like us? Freaks” Harry babbled as Louis kept giggling. “Love from Romania, Germany, Bangladesh… ‘Sweden loves that Larry is real xoxo’ aww that’s cute”

“I’m all done baby, ready to go?” Louis said, giving a theatrical twirl to show off his fixed hair, fishing for compliments.   
Harry was not late to comply, practically jumping off the bed, throwing his arms around Louis.

“You look gorgeous” he said, pressing kisses behind Louis’ ear.  
“In all fairness you can’t see too much of me standing like this Harold”  
“Sorry, but the hug on stage has made me crazy, I can’t stop now, not ever”  
Louis smiled in the crook of Harry’s neck.  
“T’was pretty nice, wasn’t it?” he said.  
“Yeah, it really was…”  
“Did you hear them cheer for us?”  
“Can you believe how they support us?”  
“I know, it’s crazy”  
“And can you believe how much I love you?” Harry said, kissing Louis’ cheek before looking him in the eyes.  
“Yeah, well, it’s not as much as I love you so I still win”  
“Hey, I tota- oh fuck, my phone’s ringing”

Harry grabbed the buzzing phone off the table, showing Louis Niall’s face on the screen, before picking up.  
“Hey Niall, we’re just abo-… yeah, calm down, we’re just leaving. No I kn-… Yeah yeah, see you soon you tosser” he said before hanging up. “We should hurry, he was pretty angry we took so long. I quote ‘ya fuckers can have crazy monkey-sex for 18 months, hurry the fuck down here and get pissed now!’”   
Louis laughed and put on a pair of black vans.   
“I still love you more” he said, opening the door and jogging to the elevator so Harry couldn’t argue. As Harry closed and locked the door to their suite he could hear Louis’ laughing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
